This invention pertains generally to the field of shell reloading machines and more particularly to devices for feeding empty casings to the reloading machine.
Because of the cost of shell casings, it is cheaper to reload the casings with powder and bullets than to purchase new shells. An example of a commonly used shell reloading machine is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,031,850. In this machine, the spent shell casings are delivered to a rotating table on which the reloading operations are performed in sequential steps as a manual operating lever is actuated.
While the above described machine, and others like it, greatly speed up the reloading operation, they all require that the shell casings provided to the machine be aligned such that the rim end of each casing is disposed in the same direction. A stack of aligned casings is usually supported in a hollow tube which delivers the casings to the casing receiver and feeder on the reloading machine. However, casings must be pre-stacked in the tube by hand or the operator of the machine must manually insert the shell casings one by one into the loading tube with the rim end downward, an operation which is time consuming and disruptive of the normal flow of work being performed by the reloading machine.